From the second Sony’s BDP-S570 is pulled from the packaging, it’s obvious that this’ll be a different beast than the company previous entry in the 5-series. The bulky, ho-hum aesthetic from this model’s predecessor has been dropped for a sleek, stylish look – one that compresses a full-ranged Blu-ray player into a smaller design. But don’t let the size fool you, as the player also packs a hearty punch in the performance arena. Blu-ray performance hits high-notes with visual rendering much in the same ways as its gaming console counterpart, sliding in a few step-ups in detail here and there, while also bolstering both raw and decoded high-resolution soundtracks home. BD-Live and BD-Java load properly, while tapping into 1GB of internal storage for this very purpose. The S570 also handles itself in quick fashion, boasting load times that come close – not matching, but close – to that of the PS3 and JVC’s lightning quick XV-BP1. Along those same lines, the S570 also treats DVDs like they’re a little slice of royalty by offering them in finely-upscaled images that flow at 24p. Furthermore, this deck also arrives with on-board wireless internet communication that supports streaming via Pandora, Netflix, and Amazon (among others).

For the price, it’s somewhat difficult to come up with too many notches against the BDP-S570. The only real points are aesthetic and/or operational hiccups. Though the glossy look on the front of the unit is attractice, keeping that way requires having a cloth handy to wipe it down. Buttons on the front of the unit seem like they’ll hold up, but they’re a little small and discreet – even if they do add to the overall minimalist look of the player. Also, the disc tray itself seems standard and a little rigid, with a front panel that wobbles. Operations wise, it’s worth noting that the player seems to struggle a bit with harsher, grainier Blu-ray sources, while the depth on contrast isn’t quite as deep as with other players. Also, the unit itself doesn’t come equipped with an internal PAL converter, so any region-free PAL discs and PAL-encoded special features on Blu-rays will not be accessible here.

Final Thoughts

At $250 list price, Sony’s BDP-S570 doesn’t really let on to the fact that it’s on the lower side of the price range. Under its attractive hood revs the engine of a proficient high-definition vehicle, rendering audiovisual elements as well as others in the approximate range – especially Sony’s Playstation 3. Wireless connectivity, 24p playback for DVDs, online streaming of several popular services, and an overall penchant for doing everything quickly hallmark this player. Is the quality as razor sharp as models of a higher dollar figure? Not quite, but the substance behind its punch easily earns respect for this price range. For those looking out for a wireless budget Blu-ray player, and don’t wish to hop into the gaming console market, then you’re looking at a comparable deck for roughly $50 less – even more so through the right channels.